YES, BRAND with Hersh Rephun

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with Hakeem Bourne McFarlane for a raw, powerful conversation about addiction, identity, masculinity, discipline, and what it actually means to choose yourself. For Hakeem, “Choose Yourself” is not a slogan. It was born from grief, collapse, masking, substances, jail, and the long work of rebuilding a life from the inside out. Hersh and Hakeem...

Some people follow trends. Rick Stark has spent his career finding them before they have names. On this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with action sports entrepreneur, media executive, and brand builder Rick Stark for a conversation about timing, trust, category creation, and why the biggest opportunities often begin as communities everyone else overlooks. From launching the Nation...

What if getting dressed wasn't about fashion? What if it was about recognition? On this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with celebrity stylist Jenni Lee for a conversation that starts with clothes and ends somewhere much deeper. After decades styling actors, musicians, and public figures, Jenni discovered the real transformation never happened in front of the camera. It happened in...

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with Jimi Gibson, visibility strategist, researcher, and former professional magician, for a conversation about perception, authority, AI, and why being excellent at what you do is no longer enough. Jimi's core belief is simple: Invisible owners create invisible companies. But this conversation goes far deeper than social media tactics or pers...

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with Mara Smith, founder and CEO of Inspiro Tequila, for a conversation about founder-led brands, perception, scale, and the challenge of building something that can stand on its own. Mara didn't set out to build a tequila company. A former attorney, corporate strategist, and stay-at-home mom, she set out to build something of her own. What sh...

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with Sébastien Night , founder of One Take AI, for a conversation about positioning, perception, product evolution, and the challenge of building something people haven't seen before. One Take AI started as a video editing platform. At least that's what many people think. But as the product evolved, Sebastien realized the real value wasn't edi...

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun gets smart with Don Weber, executive coach, communication advisor, and former intelligence professional, for a conversation about trust, perception, leadership, and what people reveal without realizing it. Don spent more than 15 years working in international intelligence, where understanding human behavior wasn't theoretical. It was essential. Today, h...

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with Hadley Nightingale, founder of New Zealand Property Buyers, for a conversation about control, resilience, identity, and what happens when life refuses to wait until you're ready. Hadley launched his business during one of the hardest periods of his life. COVID. Separation. Litigation. Uncertainty. The kind of season that makes people put...

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with author and organizational advisor Jonathan David Lewis for a conversation about leadership, identity, uncertainty, and what happens when the problem isn't the strategy. For years, Jonathan helped companies solve positioning and branding challenges. But over time, he began noticing something strange: Organizations would achieve clarity aro...

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun rolls out the insight with Jon Ostenson, CEO of FranBridge Consulting, investor, author of Non-Food Franchising , and two-time Inc. 5000 founder, for a conversation about entrepreneurship, ownership, and the misunderstood world of franchising. While many people hear the word "franchise" and immediately think fast food, Jon has built his career helping e...

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sizes things up with Kurt Uhlir, globally recognized growth operator, CMO, speaker, inventor, and servant leadership advocate, for a conversation about personal branding, leadership evolution, visibility, and the growing tension between who we are and who the market thinks we are. Over a career that has included more than 60 acquisitions and exits, an $...

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with Nik Hall, founder of Revive Marketing Partners and former CPG founder, to talk about scaling brands, building teams, and what separates sustainable growth from expensive mistakes. After building and exiting an eight-figure consumer products company, Nik turned his attention to helping brands navigate one of the world's most competitive ma...

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with business storytelling consultant John Elbing, creator of the Story Building methodology, for a lively conversation about empathy, narrative, marketing, and why so many companies tell the wrong story. With a background spanning software engineering, project management, startups, digital marketing, finance, and improv comedy, John brings an...

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with Peter Thomas, Head of Higher Education at the Conversation Design Institute and advisor to AI coaching platform DignifyX, for a thoughtful conversation about reinvention, technology, relationships, and what happens when time stops feeling theoretical. Over a career spanning academia, innovation, research, conference design, and emerging t...

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with former Disney leader and customer experience strategist Vance Morris for a conversation about loyalty, systems, culture, and why customer experience is never accidental. After rising through leadership roles at Disney, Vance found himself starting over from scratch after bankruptcy and career collapse. Instead of chasing glamorous industr...

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with Kian Saneii, founder and CEO of Independa, for a powerful conversation about aging, technology, trust, and the emotional infrastructure of caregiving. After more than 25 years leading major technology companies including WebSense, AT&T Bell Labs, and FileNet, Kian shifted his focus toward something deeply personal: helping families st...

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with Justin Giuffrida, founder of Citizens, for a conversation about growth, culture, mentorship, and the hidden risks of scaling too fast. Citizens has grown rapidly in a hospitality industry where culture is often the first thing sacrificed in the race to expand. But Justin has taken a different approach, one rooted in a simple philosophy: e...

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with Jennifer Dalton, founder and CEO of BrandMirror, to unpack what personal branding really means in today’s rapidly changing professional world. With more than 20 years of experience in brand and business strategy, Jennifer helps executives, entrepreneurs, and emerging leaders clarify their value, increase visibility, and communicate with g...

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with inventor Charlie Schertz and marketing strategist Stephanie Yeager to talk about innovation, entrepreneurship, and the challenge of bringing an entirely new product category to market. Charlie, a seasoned medical device engineer with more than 20 years of experience and over 50 patents, created Mosey after watching parents and grandparent...

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with Taqua Malik, founder and CEO of FreedomVisory, to explore the hidden cultural dynamics behind business, trust, and communication in the Gulf region. Based in Dubai, Taqua helps founders, executives, and global organizations navigate the unwritten rules of Arabic business culture across the GCC, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and...

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with certified brand strategist and neuromarketing expert Nicole Powell, founder of Halcon Marketing Solutions, to talk about what’s broken in modern marketing and why brand strategy still matters. Born in Manila and raised in the Bronx before eventually settling in St. Louis, Nicole brings a unique blend of big-brand experience and entreprene...

We don't buy products. We buy what they represent. In this episode, Hersh sits down with Daniel Trujillo, founder of Miami Links, to talk about what it actually means to build something that carries weight beyond the surface. Dan grew up in a first-generation Cuban family in Miami, where Cuban link chains weren’t just accessories. They marked milestones. They held stories. They got passed down. Af...

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with Zac Stucki, founder of IgnitionPoint Strategies, to unpack a fundamental flaw in how businesses think about their customers. What starts with a hilarious grocery store story quickly turns into a powerful framework. Zac challenges the idea that “the customer” is a single person, introducing a three-part ecosystem: the payer, the decider, a...

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with Kirsten Graham, a business strategist who helps entrepreneurs reclaim their time, sharpen their visibility, and finally stop trying to do everything themselves. Kirsten shares how her journey from running a mortgage company led to building systems that combine strategic marketing, podcasting, and specialized virtual assistants to help bus...

In this episode of YES, BRAND , Hersh Rephun sits down with bestselling author and influence expert Christian Hansen to unpack a question that sits at the heart of every brand: why do some people get chosen… while others get overlooked? Drawing from years spent in university admissions, corporate environments, and high-stakes decision-making rooms, Christian has studied what actually moves people...